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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23518654">left alone</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thoughtfullyyoungduck/pseuds/thoughtfullyyoungduck'>thoughtfullyyoungduck</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>secret son [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Eddie is on a business trip, Gen, M/M, Mentioned Myra Kaspbrak, richie is left with Matt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:00:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,247</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23518654</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thoughtfullyyoungduck/pseuds/thoughtfullyyoungduck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>after moving in together, Eddie has to leave on a business trip, leaving him to babysit Matt for the first time by himself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eddie Kaspbrak &amp; Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Eddie kaspbrak and son, Richie tozier and son</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>secret son [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>left alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>please let me know what you think, you guys feedback really matters to me! If anyone has any requests, please send them to me.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as Richie’s body hits the bed, he’s out cold. It’s the very first time he has ever had to watch Matthew all on his own, and he’s exhausted. Secretly he’s feeling proud as well, for managing to contain such a ball of energy, and for hopefully spending the time they had together as fun as possible.</p>
<p>He’s a little baffled about the amount of work that it takes to entertain a near ten-year old for an afternoon, since he had pretty much nothing planned on forehand. He’s secretly relieved Eddie wasn’t here to witness the absolute shock on his face when Matt suggested game after game, only ten minutes into the movie they had decided on.</p>
<p>In Richie’s mind, they were going to watch some television and order take out and all sorts of junk food he knows Matt is not allowed to eat when he’s with his mom, or even Eddie. He himself was a hyperactive child, but he does remember days spend with his mother where she had allowed him to stay home from school, and they caught up to every horror movie his mom could get her hands on until his dad returned home from work.</p>
<p>Staying in all day had been no problem then, so he had wrongfully assumed that Matt wouldn’t mind to do that either, yet Matt was nothing short of a rascal, and so Richie had spend most of the time running behind him to make sure he didn’t injure himself with whatever idea he had come up with next.</p>
<p>Not that he minded. Loving Matthew was just as easy as adoring his dad was, and it took barely a day for Richie to figure out that he would do anything to make the imp as happy as he could be. Next time he would be alone with Matt however, he would provide all sorts of activities, so that the day would be jammed pack full, and no moment would be left unfilled.</p>
<p>Richie missed days like this one, where he was free to be as joyful as he wanted, and no one would judge him for it. He figured that seeing Eddie in Derry after so much time passed would be the highlight of his life, but he was mistaken, for messing around with both Eddie and Matt brought happiness to his life like he had never felt it.</p>
<p>Sadness overtook Richie from time to time, when he spiraled into thinking about what his future could have been if Pennywise hadn’t taken it all away from him, but just a glance to Eddie and Matt’s smiles, and it felt like all puzzle pieces fell in their place. With them nearby, contentment filled Richie to the brim.</p>
<p>Despite how much he enjoyed the day, nighttime was even more pleasant, and Matt definitely agreed.</p>
<p>A certain routine was build, when the three of them moved in together, where Eddie would wake up in the morning to make Matt breakfast while Richie slept on, and at night Richie would be the one to read him a bedtime story, before Eddie would come up and tuck him in.</p>
<p>Reading stories before bed gave Richie the opportunity to show off his variety of voices, ranging from the British guy, to a decent impression of captain America. Marvel story’s where Matts favorites, so he got a lot of practice for that one.</p>
<p>The voices hadn’t even begun on purpose at all, an impulsion that Matt loved so much that e started asking for it every single night. It started when Eddie’s head started aching first thing in the morning, and by the afternoon he was practically coughing up a lung. He showed no signs of improving, the opposite actually, but he still insisted on reading Matt a story, like he had been doing ever since he was born.</p>
<p>Richie checked to see what was taking Eddie so long, as he had been upstairs for a while, and met the feverish eyes of his lover, with a voice that couldn’t go beyond a small whisper.</p>
<p>He knew how much Eddie hated being sick, but he was also learning how much he hated to disappoint his son, so Richie didn’t say anything, tentively walking in the room and sitting beside Eddie on the side of Matt’s bed, while he hooked his head on his shoulders and read with him. At the times a character was supposed to be saying something, Richie intervened, and every time he did, Matt would laugh more than he laughed at Richie’s jokes, which he found quite offensive thank you very much.</p>
<p>Every day onward, Matt would shyly suggest that Richie was the one who read the story to him, and Richie himself was nothing but compliant, more than excited to do so. Eddie’s look of complete and utter adoration helped too off course.</p>
<p>From then on it seemed like Matt accepted Richie as part of his and his dad’s life, calling him Rich instead of Richie, giving him a hug whenever he goes to school just as he does with Eddie, proposing on his own accord to do something with the three of them, to Richie it’s like he recently got his own child. He wouldn’t trade Matt for all the gold in the world.</p>
<p>He likes to think that he is a pretty good step-father, who maybe spoils the squirt a bit too much, but sue him, he’s never had to take care of any else before, and he’s finding out that he really likes it. That doesn’t mean that he’s not a bad influence at times either, things like curse words slipping through the seams of the net Richie tries desperately to maintain, but those are all in good fun, and Eddie is not nearly as annoyed as he pretends he is when Matt repeats a word he heard Richie say, finding it more funny than anything.</p>
<p>Tonight was no different from that routine, except for the fact that Eddie wasn’t there to give him a goodnight kiss on his forehead, but Richie’s fears that Matt would have a hard time going to bed seemed to be unjustified. He went to bed only an hour late, which technically wasn’t even his fault, Richie had promised to play one more round of monopoly before bed, and he was nothing if not competitive to win, and he seemed about five seconds away from sleep when Richie quietly exited the room.  </p>
<p>Those facts sooth Richie enough to leave his door open about an inch, and head on over to the bed where he falls asleep before he even has time to plug in his phone. Kids were exhausting, no matter how much you care for them.  </p>
<p>The thing is, ever since he started rooming with Eddie and Matt, he was a ridiculously light sleeper. Every time Eddie woke up in the night, so did Richie. One time, Matt had thrown up and thus come into their room to wake them up, Richie shot up out of bed before he even had a chance to say something, or possibly shake them awake.</p>
<p>Eddie teased him with it, claiming that it was probably a fathers instinct Richie only developed now, same as Eddie had when Matt was a newborn. Richie scoffed whenever Eddie brought it up, but he was beginning to think it may have been true.  </p>
<p>Heavy eyes blink open at around three A.M, and Richie is not sure exactly what woke him up, only that he now is. There’s this warning looming in the back of his head, making him more uneasy with every breath he takes, and every second he waists on staring up at the seeing. He tries to convince himself that it’s nothing, but he can’t help but give in to the worry regardless, getting up to check on how Matt is doing.</p>
<p>He tries to be silent, but Richie can only do so much with his lanky, uncoordinated body, and he slams into a cabinet in the hallway more than once. Regardless, he deems his attempt pretty successful, up till he makes it to Matt’s door, hearing sniffles and whimpers from the other side.</p>
<p>All the hairs on his body stan dup in alarm, the pennywise situation has clearly left its scars, expecting the worst, but he forces himself to take a deep breath before knocking anyway, trying to stay calm.</p>
<p>The sniffles stop for an excruciating second where Richie thinks about everything that could be wrong, before Matt’s timid voice speaks up, a ‘come on’, resolutely reaching his ears.</p>
<p>When Richie opens the door in haste, he sees that there’s nobody in the room expect for Matt, and that the nightlight on his bedside cabinet is on, casting a sliver illuminating the room. He’s whipping his tears away hastily, trying to appear calmer than he is. Richie’s heart breaks a little, seeing Matt in such a state, not sure what the right steps are to move forward.</p>
<p>Matt is a hyper, but keeping emotions to himself type of child. He reminds Richie of himself a bit, he never told anyone how he was really feeling as a child either. There’s definitely parts of Eddie in him, don’t you dare to try and insult anyone he cares about, because the chief will stop at nothing to make you apologize, just like his father, but most of his personality seems to originate from himself.</p>
<p>Obviously Richie has never met Myra though, so there is a slight change that he might have inherited that from her, but by the things Eddie tells him, he doesn’t think that is the case.</p>
<p>Tears have never once made an appearance with Matt, not even when his parents were fresh of their divorce, despite that it must have been scary times for him. Because of this, Richie doesn’t have a single clue on what to do, and Eddie not even here to help him with it.  </p>
<p>He starts by approaching Matt as slowly as possible, giving Matt a change to refuse any type of physical contact with him, just like he never wanted his parents to comfort him when he was a child.</p>
<p>No such rejections are made, so Richie places his hand on Matt’s shoulder, squeezing once to hopefully console him the slightest bit.</p>
<p>Matt gazes up at him, his eyes filled to the brim with tears threatening to leek out, another sob falling from his lips.</p>
<p>Richie is not equipped to deal with this at all. King of suppressing his own feeling did not bode well in trying to help others deal with theirs, but he wants to try. For Matt, but also for himself, because he believes that he deserves better, Eddie deserves better, and most of all Matt. Going over all the things he could have messed up, but coming up empty handed, Richie bites the bullets and inquires Matt for an explanation.</p>
<p>‘What’s wrong bud?’ He asks, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.</p>
<p>Blinking, Matt seems to think whether or not he can trust Richie, which is fair, Richie wouldn’t have gone to an adult either as a kid, least of all one that looked  as scruffy as he did.</p>
<p>Matt ultimately decides that Richie is a safe person, for he opens his mouth to explain.</p>
<p>‘I miss my dad.’</p>
<p>He looks absolutely miserable, but he also looks ashamed, like he’s embarrassed that he has emotions. Richie understands him, it’s the first time Eddie and him have been apart since he showed up a few months after remembering each other, away on some business trip far away enough that he has to stay overnight, and already he feels like he’s going crazy. He can’t imagine having to live another twenty-seven years without the love of his life.</p>
<p>Richie hesitantly throws his arm around Matt’s shoulders, nearly beaming when he doesn’t push Richie away, returning the half hug as a best he can.</p>
<p>‘I miss him too bud, but he’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.’ It doesn’t cheer Matt up, who still looks as miserable as he did before, but he does shrug his shoulders. Taking a peek at the clock tells Richie that it’s way too late to call Eddie now, he surely is already asleep by now, it is twelve pm.</p>
<p>‘I know,’ Matt eventually replies, bumping his feet against each other over the edge of the bed, as of somehow that would make the time go faster.</p>
<p>‘but hey, at least you have me to hang around with right? Am I not super fucking cool, letting you stay up past bedtime?’ Richie jocose, trying to get Matt to laugh, but he doesn’t take the bait. Nodding excessively, Matt hurries to correct him. ‘Yeah, I really do, you’re really funny.’</p>
<p>‘Hey, I was just kidding kid, it’s okay. What do you usually do when you miss him and you’re at your moms?’</p>
<p>A scowl appears on Matt’s face, and he nearly cries again before stopping himself. Then he gulps, his eyes flitting from Richie to the ground and back, bracing himself for something. Richie wants to encourage him, to tell him that he can tell him anything, but he also knows that that might push Matt away, and he refuses to let that happen.</p>
<p>‘Hey, Richie’, Matt starts, cutting himself up to wipe the tear tracks of his cheeks, ’I don’t want to live with my mom anymore.’</p>
<p>Richie’s eyes widen, he has no idea what to say to that.  Myra managed to gain custody over Matt in the weekends, not because Eddie had no change of winning a custody battle, but because he wanted his son to have a relationship with his mother. She had him every single weekend, which caused a lot of tension for everyone involved, because nobody except Myra could make plans to do anything.</p>
<p>Matt had no choice but to say no to every invitation he received from his schoolfriends, since Myra refused to let him go to any of them, and Eddie and Richie never had the option of taking him to theme parks or something fun, since he was with his mother.</p>
<p>Frustration arose pretty much as soon as the order was settled, with Myra prohibiting Matt from doing anything fun, but they, meaning Richie and Eddie, kept Matt out of it at all times. The same could not be said from Myra. She loved to drag both Eddie and Richie through the mud, exclaiming awful things not only about them, but also about the gay community in general.</p>
<p>Secretly, Richie was always glad when Mat returned from the weekend, knowing that during the week, the bitch couldn’t corrupt his mind anymore. Despite thinking all of these things, Richie is careful choosing his words. He doesn’t want be accused of manipulating Matt’s mind, but he did want to let Matt know that he was being heard.</p>
<p>‘I love her, I really do, but she’s really mean. When I cried when I missed dad, she said I shouldn’t cry, that is only something girls do. She said I shouldn’t do that because I don’t want people to think that I’m gay like my dad.’</p>
<p>The anger spreads through Richie as fast as the speed of light, he’s nearly seething, but he slips on a mask and smiles reassuringly to Matt.</p>
<p>‘We’ll talk about it with your dad okay? And with your mom. If that is what you really want, we’d be happy to have you. And don’t worry about crying, it’s not a girl thing, trust me.’</p>
<p>‘Thank you.’ Matt says as he hugs Richie even tighter then he had been, his crying subside.</p>
<p>An idea pops up in Richie’s mind, a mumbled ‘hang on’ directed towards Matt, as he makes his way back to his bedroom.</p>
<p>He’s still very tired, but he’s also a little giddy of the idea he came up with. He grabs his phone from besides his bed, and takes Eddie pillow with him before he returns to Matt’s room. While he walks back, he searches his phone for a video he filmed of Eddie reading a small part of a story, with a soothing voice and imitations of voices that caused Richie to laugh hysterically when he first heard it, still he thinks it’s a good idea.</p>
<p>Bumping into the cabinet in the hallway once again, he curses, then promptly shuts up before Matthew can hear it. When he gets back, he motions Matt to sit up for a second, taking his pillow away, and placing Eddie in its place. That was his plan at first, to make it through the night by burying his head in Eddie’s pillow, but he was too tired to even think about it, and anyway, Matt needs it more than him.</p>
<p>He fumbles with his phone for a little while longer before finally managing to start it, Eddie voice sounding through the speakers, Matt lits up like a Christmas tree.</p>
<p>‘Is this good?’ Richie asks, and he sincerely hopes so, for he has no idea what else he can do. Luckily Matt settles back into bed, listening to his fathers voice. Richie tucks him in, the blanket snug under his chin, a kiss to his forehead and the warmth all consuming him. He waits for a second, staring at Matt until he gets the go ahead to leave, which he follows, and moves to leave again.</p>
<p>‘Thank you, Rich’, Matt says when Richie is has almost closed the door completely, and his heart grows a tiny bit fonder of the boy he is luckily to call his stepson. ‘No, thank you’, he elects to say, even if it appears that Matt has already fallen back asleep.</p>
<p>Contently, Richie too turns in for the night.</p>
<p>A half an hour later he is again awoken, by shuffling in his bedroom. Before he has time to panic, a kiss is pressed to his shoulder blade, and he gets a scent of Eddie’s colon he wears exclusively for work occasions. He hums, turning from his side to lay on his back, with his eyes till closed he seeks out Eddie’s lips, until Eddie hufs out a laugh and connect heir lips for him.</p>
<p>‘What are you doing here?’ Richie yawns, he’s extremely tired, and it won’t take long for sleep to pull  him under again, but he is very happy that Eddie is back, and he wants to enjoy that for as long as he can.</p>
<p>‘I decided I missed my two boys too much, so I drove here early.’</p>
<p>It’s still supringing sometimes, how Eddie’s words can bring Richie to tears so easily. It’s too late for emotional sappy shit however, so Richie changes the subject.</p>
<p>‘Hm, I’m glad you’re here, Matt’s asleep.’</p>
<p>‘I know, I checked in on him.’ Eddie sounds decidedly not as tired as Richie’s, but he’s not all that awake either.</p>
<p>There are conversations that need to happen in the morning, things that Richie needs to tell Eddie, like how Matt want’s to stay with them, but those can wait until the morning, Richie decides, as he reaches for Eddie who’s only now getting in to bed.</p>
<p>‘Hey, where’s my pillows?’ He complains, wakking Richie softly when he laughs.</p>
<p>‘You don’t need it’, Richie replies, as he pulls Eddie closer so his head is on his chest, their legs tangling together and their hands locking, both lulled to sleep by the close proximity they have to the love of their lives.</p>
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